Why Young Voters Are Favoring Bernie Over Hillary for President

But will it matter at the polls?

At last night's Democratic Town Hall in Des Moines, Iowa, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was asked a very important question by a college student from Drake University where the event was hosted — "It feels like lot of young people, we're passionate supporters of Bernie Sanders, and I don't see the same enthusiasm from younger people for you... In fact, I've heard from quite a few people my age that they think you're dishonest, but I'd like to hear from you and why you feel the enthusiasm isn't there," the student said.

The moment was arguably awkward, but correct, as polls are showing that Sanders is leading among young voters nationally, and with the Iowa caucus, where the first primary votes will be cast, less than a week away, there might be little she can do to change that notion now.

This enthusiasm that many young people are feeling for Sanders over Clinton can most likely be traced back to a couple of things. One, he's promising to make all public higher education free. This is a very bold promise, but something that obviously appeals to young people as they're saddled with more [student loan debt] than ever. This also speaks to the disillusionment that many millennials are feeling over the American Dream, and despair over the income equality gap.

Second, many believe that Sanders is the more straightforward and passionate of the two. While Clinton has been dogged by her email scandal, and a long political history that can be examined and dissected for days, Sanders is relatively new to the national stage, and his ideas seem fresher and more authentic. His proposed policies on climate change, raising the minimum wage to $15, and healthcare are also a closer match to the progressive ideals of many young people.

In response to the questioner last night, Clinton, ever the professional, responded that she's feeling the love among young voters too and pointed to some high schoolers in Oskaloosa, Iowa who are working on her campaign. She also pointed out that whether young voters are behind her or Sanders, she's just glad to see them engaged and paying attention to the political process.

"I'm totally happy to see young people involved in any way. That's what we want. And we want to have a good primary, to pick a nominee, and then we want to have everybody join together to make sure we win in November, which after all, is the purpose of this whole campaign," she said.

It should be noted that while Sanders is leading the youth vote, Clinton is leading in most national polls; and Clinton has some pretty progressive goals for the country too, and is promising to lower higher education costs as well.

President Obama might have been able to ride his wave of support among young voters to the White House in 2008, but older voters are generally more reliable when it comes to actually showing up at the polls. So no matter who you're a fan of, it's best that you make sure you're registered to vote in both the primaries and the general election in order to make sure your voice is heard.